scholarly journals GREEN LUXURY: A CASE STUDY OF TWO GREEN HOTELS

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Han Ahn ◽  
Annie R. Pearce

The hotel industry is beginning to implement green design and construction practices, saving energy, water, and resources and thus helping to preserve the environment. In addition, green building practices also can provide healthy and comfortable indoor environments to hotel occupants including guests and employees. However, there is the potential for conflict between green building practices and hotel guests' satisfaction and comfort, as the conservation of resources could detract from the quality of a guest's visitor experience. This study adopted a case study approach to identify and analyze green design and construction practices that create a green and luxurious environment without damaging the hotels' financial position. An in-depth literature review was conducted to identify green design and construction practices, design features of premium hotels, and major design conflicts between the twin goals of green building and a luxurious hotel environment. Two LEED platinum hotels (the Proximity Hotel and the Bardessono Hotel, both in the United States) were selected and data collected on their green design and construction practices, luxurious design features, and operation and maintenance practices from multiple sources, including the owner, designer, contractor, engineer, and LEED consultant. From the perspective of the entire lifecycle of the building, this data was analyzed to identify green design and construction practices that not only provide a green, luxurious environment but also enhance the hotels' financial strength.

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (27) ◽  
pp. 329-344
Author(s):  
Nadine Bonda

Beginning in 2009, and with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, school districts across the United States began to be held to higher standards and their progress publicly reported.  Student achievement began to be measured by standardized testing and great efforts were being made to reduce the achievement gap. This paper is based on a five-year study of teacher evaluation in two urban districts in Massachusetts where improving teacher practice was seen as an important factor in raising student achievement. This research studied efforts to address those teachers who were identified as underperforming and were supported through individual improvement plans.  This paper used a case study approach to show what the practices of a sampling of these teachers looked like, teachers’ reactions to being rated unsatisfactory, and teachers’ reactions to the improvement planning process.


Author(s):  
Michel J. G. van Eeten ◽  
Emery Roe

From the outset, the book’s chief policy question has resolved around the problem of how to manage. As this was addressed in the preceding chapters, a new question arises: what are the implications for policies governing the meeting of the twofold management goal of restoring ecosystems while maintaining service reliability? This chapter provides our answer to that question by means of a new case study. It sums up the book’s argument and recasts ecosystem management and policy for ecologists, engineers, and other stakeholders. The best way to draw out the policy-relevant ramifications of our framework and the preceding management insights is to apply them to a different ecosystem. The case-study approach has served us well in contextualizing management recommendations without, we believe, compromising their more general application to ecosystem management. Our analysis of the major land-use planning controversy in the Netherlands underscores the wider applicability of this book’s arguments for both management and policy. What follows is put more briefly because it builds on the analysis of and recommendations for the Columbia River Basin, San Francisco Bay-Delta, and the Everglades. Why the Netherlands? There are human-dominated ecosystems substantially different from those found in the United States, many of which are more densely populated. They have nothing remotely like “wilderness,” but instead long histories of constructing and managing “nature.” The Netherlands is one such landscape. Not only is the landscape different, it is also important to note that the context for ecosystem management is set by different political, social, and cultural values. Sustainability is a much more dominant value in the European context than currently in the United States. Case-by-case management, while also appropriate for zones of conflict outside the United States, now has to deal with the fact that there is a tension between its call for case-specific indicators and the use of more general sustainability indicators in Europe. In die Netherlands, for example, sustainable housing projects are designed and assessed not only in terms of specific indicators but also in light of the “factor 20 increase in environmental efficiency” needed to achieve sustainability.


Author(s):  
Kate Vieira

This chapter tells the story of the research. It first lays out the research question: How do transnational families’ experiences with migration-driven literacy learning shift across their lifespans in relation to changing political borders, economic circumstances, and technologies? It then describes the field sites in which the question was addressed: Latvia, Brazil, and the United States. Next, it outlines the reasoning behind the author’s methodological choices. Specifically, it elaborates on the author’s use of a comparative case study approach to develop the book’s central concept, “migration-driven literacy learning.” In doing so, the chapter describes how the project entailed both “reasearching across lives” and “researching across continents.” Finally, it offers a brief overview of the rest of the book.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 452-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Susan Hayles

Purpose This paper aims to explore the outputs of an internship programme, one of a number of campus-based sustainability activities that have been introduced at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, to encourage student-led campus-based greening initiatives. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach was undertaken, allowing the researcher to investigate the programme in its real-life context. The researcher used multiple sources of evidence to gain as holistic a picture as possible. Findings Interns report positive changes in their behaviours towards sustainability, s well as encouraging feedback on their experiential learning, the development of their soft skills and the creation of new knowledge. Moreover, students communicated perceived benefits for their future careers. The reported outcomes reflect mutually beneficial relationships for student and institution, for example, raising the profile of campus greening activities and supporting the University’s aim to embed sustainability throughout its campus, community and culture. Research limitations/implications The researcher recognises the limitations of the research, in particular, the small sample size, which has resulted primarily in qualitative results being presented. Practical implications Feedback from previous interns will be used to shape future internships. In particular, Institute of Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness (INSPIRE) will look for opportunities to work more closely with University operations, departments, faculties and alongside University staff, both academic and support staff. Social implications Following student feedback, INSPIRE will give students opportunities for wider involvement, including an opportunity to propose their own projects to shape future internships that meet the needs of student body on campus. Originality/value Despite being one case study from one institution, the research highlights the value of such programmes for other institutions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 545-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Whalley ◽  
Peter Curwen

Purpose This paper aims to shed light on the development of Altice, a French-based but multinational operator of cable and mobile networks. Design/methodology/approach A detailed longitudinal case study approach is adopted covering the period 2002 to 2018 (inclusive). Data are drawn from multiple sources, including the annual reports of Altice, its filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission, the prospectuses of Altice S.A. and Altice USA and the trade press. Findings The paper demonstrates how, until recently, Altice’s presence in France was relatively limited. This changed, however, with the acquisition of Numericable and SFR. These purchases, along with those of Suddenlink and Cablevision in the USA, were funded by a substantial increase in Altice’s debt burden. To address the negative consequences of this burden, Altice has retrenched through selling or planning to sell some of its operations and spinning-off Altice USA to its existing shareholders. Research limitations/implications The paper highlights the complexity of multinational telecommunication companies. The challenges of developing a longitudinal case study of a company that operates in multiple countries through cascading holding companies is also illustrated by the paper. Practical implications There is a need for more data to be available in the public domain. This will, amongst other things, facilitate the analysis of companies like Altice that operate internationally and bundle products together to enhance their competitiveness. Originality/value This paper charts the growth of Altice, highlighting the role played by frequent merger and acquisition activity and debt in shaping its development and strategy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-262
Author(s):  
Lauren Godfrey ◽  
Carol Booth Olson

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how, through the cultivation of reform ownership in the professional development (PD) program, the Pathway Project, agency was achieved for the development of teacher professionalism and teacher expertise in the cases of Mrs. Cruz and Mrs. Keyes. This, in turn, provided opportunities to advance student learning. Design/methodology/approach Multiple sources of data (focused classroom observations, semi-structured interviews and collected artifacts) were analyzed through a case study approach to understand the processes by which an agentic context materialized for these two teachers. Findings The authors identified the following three stages in the cultivation of reform ownership in the cases of Mrs. Cruz and Mrs. Keyes: emerging; developing; and deepening. Each of these stages proved critical to the achievement of agency for the development of teacher professionalism, teacher expertise and student learning. Originality/value The cases of Mrs. Cruz and Mrs. Keyes offer a renewed vision of the ways in which teachers can achieve agency in the current reform environment. Given the proliferation of reform efforts within today’s educational landscape, their cases suggest that PD developers take seriously the responsibility of cultivating reform ownership for the achievement of agency and deep and lasting change.


2013 ◽  
Vol 689 ◽  
pp. 430-434
Author(s):  
Miao Wang

With the promotion of low-carbon and energy-saving green building concept and technology, in addition to an important aesthetic ornamental value, the environment landscape surrounding buildings also possesses a key ecological meaning and environmental protection function. Making a case study of the green magic school roof garden and garden landscape in National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), through the application of the method in the case study like native plants, environmental protection material in landscape design through water saving, low maintenance, this paper discusses how to build green building and at the same time pays attention to the design and construction strategies of green landscape with ecological environmental protection concept. This research brings the significant meaning on studying and draw-on for us to create a beautiful, practical and sustainable "green landscape".


Author(s):  
Alex Traugutt ◽  
Jacob Augustin ◽  
Rammi Hazzaa

Research on athletic identity has been robust, however, there remains a gap in the literature regarding its perceived impact among collegiate club sport athletes. The subject of the present study was the niche sport of quidditch, a co-ed contact sport that is currently being played at over 200 colleges and universities across the United States. The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of athletic identity among quidditch participants. In addition, it was also of interest to understand the degree to which spectators perceive the athletic identity of the participants and the game of quidditch in general. A two-phase, case study approach was utilized which featured both club quidditch team members and spectators at a regional club tournament as participants. Results from our thematic analysis yielded four primary themes; quidditch as a sport, participation for sport, participation for social interaction, and the Harry Potter effect. Concurrently, many spectators identified the quidditch participants as athletes although they were not as defiant in their identification of quidditch as a sport. These findings have notable implications for college students seeking to continue their athletic endeavors via an alternative sport experience and administrators who are seeking to expand their sport offerings.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
Annie Taccolini Pannagio ◽  
Odessa Gonzalez Benson

Policy related to refugee integration focuses on economic factors, while integration is not clearly operationalized nor is it being systematically measured and tracked in policy implementation. This study poses the question, how can local-level integration be conceptualized based on the perspectives of resettled refugees, to add nuance to policy. Using a case study approach with a nation-wide scale, data include 40 interviews and five focus groups with leaders of Bhutanese refugee-run organizations in 35 cities across the United States. Findings illustrate the importance of bonds, bridges and links in non-linear, relational integration. Findings also suggest that better access to services and resources is the responsibility of policy-makers and would lead to stronger bridges over time. This complicates existing policy and implies that resettlement programming should remain individualized and contextual from the ground level to the national level.


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